HCM City (VNA) – From politically oriented performances and traditional festivals to modern concerts and massive outdoor events, Ho Chi Minh City has cultivated a varied music festival landscape that mirrors the vibrant, open and innovative pulse of Vietnam's southern economic hub.
When sound defines a city
In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City has emerged as a priority stop for major shows, concerts and festivals, drawing strong public interest. Iconic brands, such as the Ho Chi Minh City International Music Festival Hozo, Vietnam Music Week and GENfest Music Festival – a multi-sensory music gateway, have become familiar names on the city’s cultural map.
The city has also asserted its standing on the touring circuit by regularly welcoming world-renowned artists. Concerts such as Super Junior’s Asia Tour: Spin-off – Half Time, Westlife’s The Wild Dreams, and the Inviolate World Tour by guitar legend Steve Vai, along with BridgeFest, have underscored both the city’s appeal and its growing organisational capacity.
What sets Ho Chi Minh City’s music ecosystem apart is the diversity of its venues. Music is no longer confined to concert halls or professional stages, but its vibrance has spread into public spaces. From bustling downtown areas and Nguyen Hue pedestrian street to parks along the Saigon River, music has become an integral part of everyday urban life.
Meanwhile, high-capacity facilities such as stadiums, indoor arenas and the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre are equipped to handle crowds of tens of thousands.
Creating distinctive cultural highlights
To elevate festival quality and uniqueness, authorities are exploring new formats. A multi-experience model combining music with culture, creativity and community interaction is viewed as ideal for a creative urban centre.
Emerging concepts like MBillion 2025 within the GENfest ecosystem centre on artist-led narratives and fan co-creation through interactive elements, chants and shared moments, marking a fresh approach in Vietnam's contemporary music market.
Organisers describe MBillion not as a standard concert but as a cultural landmark, with each performance preserved via archival footage, mini-documentaries, and fan records, capturing collective memories and tracing the evolution of Vietnamese music.
The city is also pursuing broader festivals that blend entertainment with cultural and social impact. Hozo City Tet Fest, an expansion of the established Ho Chi Minh City Hozo International Music Festival, combines music with culture, art, creativity, and community activities.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, said Hozo City Tet Fest establishes Ho Chi Minh City as a vibrant cultural hub in the region, matching its metropolitan status.
The event aims to pioneer a model fusing music, culture, creativity and community, embodying innovation and global integration while creating a signature year-end highlight to boost positive momentum and the broader cultural industries./.
